The present invention relates to electric guitars, and provides means for reducing friction in various components of the guitar.
Many electric guitars are equipped with a tremolo device, also known simply as a tremolo. The purpose of the tremolo is to allow the player to vary the tension in the strings, thereby momentarily changing the pitch of the sounds produced.
There are various kinds of tremolos, having differing structures. The present invention is most relevant to a Fender-style or vintage tremolo, but may be applicable to other tremolos, depending on their structures.
The tremolo, which is located at the bridge of the guitar, or which itself serves as the bridge of the guitar, comprises a tremolo block to which the strings are attached. The strings, once in tune, are in tension, and provide a force of about 17 pounds per string, for a total force on the tremolo, of 102 pounds, for a six-stringed instrument. To balance the force of the strings, the tremolo includes springs which are attached to the tremolo block and provide a force of about 102 pounds in the opposite direction. Thus, the tremolo is manipulated as a lever, against the force exerted by the strings.
The tremolo is controlled by a bar or lever, called a tremolo arm, which is capable of pivoting or moving the tremolo slightly, thereby altering the tension in the strings, and changing the pitch of the sounds made by the strings.
A problem with a tremolo is that when the device is pivoted, it does not always return to its exact original position. Although the purpose of the tremolo is to change the tuning of the strings, it is usually desired to return the strings to their original, tuned condition. In the tremolos of the prior art, this goal is often not achieved. The guitar must therefore be re-tuned, which is impractical to do while playing.
A temporary solution to the problem is to adjust the tremolo arm, to attempt to re-tune while playing. But this approach is clearly unreliable. For this reason, some players choose not to use the tremolo at all.
The above-described problem is believed to result from friction between the tremolo and the body of the guitar. As the tremolo is pivoted, it rubs against the guitar body, in a manner which cannot be predicted with precision. This is why the tremolo is unlikely to return to its exact original position.
A similar problem, due to friction, occurs near the opposite end of the string, i.e. at the nut of the guitar. The nut is the device located at the junction of the headstock and the fretboard. The strings pass over the nut, and, when tuned, are in tension as described above. In some cases, the nut may be “sticky” with respect to the guitar string, so that the string does not move smoothly across the nut. In other cases, the string will slide across the nut. When one tunes the guitar, the string is vibrating between the nut and the bridge. But because of the varying friction between the string and the nut, the string can go out of tune unpredictably. As the guitar is played, the string moves, causing the tension between the bridge and the nut, and between the nut and the tuning peg, to equalize or de-equalize. The insertion of a random and variable amount of friction, at the position of the nut, makes it more likely that the string will go out of tune.
One system of the prior art, designed for keeping an electric guitar in tune, is a Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo. Once the musician has tuned the guitar, the Floyd Rose system locks the guitar strings down at both the nut and the bridge. One is still able to make minor tuning adjustments at the bridge, but the result is a guitar that stays in tune longer. The disadvantage of this system is that when the guitar goes out of tune, the musician must unlock the strings at the nut and re-tune and re-lock. The above-described system is also expensive, requiring some machining work to set it up on the guitar.
The present invention provides improvements in electric guitars, to solve the problems described above. In particular, the present invention includes a low-friction pad, for use with a tremolo, which pad substantially reduces the friction between the tremolo and the guitar body. The invention also includes a reduced-friction roller nut which serves to equalize the tension in the various portions of the string. The structure of the reduced-friction roller nut may also be advantageously provided at other locations on the guitar, and not just at the nut. These improvements, which are described in detail below, can be used in combination or individually.